Question
Why is fish oil good for you, and how much should I take?
Answer
The fat in fish includes a form of polyunsaturated fatty acids called omega-3s. These differ from the polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils (called omega-6s) and have different effects on the body. The two most potent forms of omega-3s, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are mainly found in cold-water fish like salmon, trout and tuna.
Omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in a range of vital body processes, from regulating blood pressure, preventing heart rhythm abnormalities and reducing triglycerides (blood fats related to cholesterol), to reducing inflammation and boosting the immune system. Most importantly, the presence of omega-3s makes blood platelets less likely to clump together and form clots that lead to heart attacks. Therapeutic doses of fish oils are one of the few successful ways to prevent a re-blockage of arteries that commonly occurs after angioplasty, in which a small balloon is guided through an artery to a blockage and then inflated to improve blood flow to the heart. Omega-3 fatty acids, being anti-inflammatory, are also useful for joint problems, lupus and psoriasis, and have been used to alleviate symptoms of asthma and eczema.
Recommended dosage levels range between 3000mg and 6000mg a day. Take according to manufacturer's instructions. Don't try to save money by buying fish oil supplements in bulk, as they go rancid quite quickly. Note: Fish oil capsules may cause burping, flatulence, nausea, and diarrhoea. Very high doses may result in a slightly fishy body odour. Because omega-3 fatty acids inhibit blood clotting, consult a doctor if you have a blood disorder, are taking anticoagulant medications or are about to have surgery.

Nutrition for Health, Strength, Stamina & Energy

• Eat from a broad base.  Nutritional deficiencies are less likely to occur when you include a wide variety of foods in your diet every day.
• Eat adequate levels of protein. Your muscles are made of protein and so is your immune system, neurotransmitters and hormones.  If you don’t eat the right amount of protein you cannot expect your body to function well.  As a general rule you need at least 1 gram of protein for every kg of body weight.  You will not be healthy on less than 50 grams of protein a day (see list).  So eat protein foods at every meal, including snacks to build muscle, improve strength, avoid mood swings and increase resistance to illness.  Keep in mind most protein foods also provide you with B vitamins, zinc, iron and calcium.
• Athletes have high carbohydrate (sugars and starches) needs.  These foods stimulate the release of insulin which increase muscle glycogen stores and boost blood sugar levels.  Glycogen is stored energy and without it you won’t be strong. High intensity exercise is linked with powerful muscle contraction and you need carbs for fuel.  Fat and protein, while they are important, do not oxidise rapidly enough to meet the demands of high intensity exercise.
• When choosing carbohydrate foods choose those with a low GI (glycaemic index).  All fruit and vegetables (except white potato) are low GI as are sourdough and wholegrain breads.  When choosing rice eat only Basmati, all other rice has high GI.  Legumes, pulses, nuts, pasta, seeds and grains such as oats, barley and millet are low GI too.  Choose low GI breakfast cereal such as Bircher muesli or porridge.  High GI foods are a poor energy source and if you eat these your performance will be compromised.
• Fats are important for your health.  Choosing the right fat is important to maintain healthy tissue, reduce inflammation and assist mental health.  Fat slows the passage of food through the gut.  Anyone needing to loose weight must keep fats to a minimum (less than 30g daily).  Avoid saturated fat found in crisps, cakes, biscuits, pastries, coconut milk, butter, chicken skin, ghee, palm oil and trans fat in margarine.  Healthy fats are found in avocado, corn, olive oil, yoghurt, fish, nuts and seeds and should be included in the diet.
• Hydration is critical.  You need to replace fluids lost during exercise.
• Pre-exercise food should contain easy to digest carbohydrate foods because the food must be well digested or you may suffer nausea, cramping and fatigue.  Food should be taken 1-4 hours before the event.  If the time frame is short choose liquid rather than solid foods.  Consider your own metabolism because this will vary greatly between individuals.  I recommend the addition of some protein too.  Some examples are:

Bircher muesli with milk, soy drink or yoghurt
Fresh fruit and yoghurt (close to event)
Vegetable soup that contains milk, lentils, barley or rice
Baked beans
Fruit smoothies
Oats or rice porridge with milk, soy drink or yoghurt
Pasta with napolitana sauce and parmesan or pesto
Sourdough bread with protein topping – sardines, nut butter
Mixture of fruit and vegetable juice with a little protein powder (if really close to event)

• Post exercise you need food that will help replace the nutrients you have lost and assist recovery.  To reduce muscle soreness and improve your ability to train consistently you must eat within 2 hours of exercise.  Ideally you need to choose foods that provide a carbohydrate: protein ratio 4:1.  Recovery drinks can be convenient but often problematic for anyone wishing to lose weight.  A healthy sandwich on sourdough or wholegrain bread with a protein and salad fill is a good choice or some baked beans.  Avoid sugary snacks that cause a peak in blood sugar, it is always followed by a huge drop in energy.
• Eat lots of vegetable and salad.  You must have a minimum of 5 different vegetables every day.  If you want to lose weight avoid white potato because it has a high GI.  Choose kumera, pumpkin, carrot and corn instead as a starch choice.  Eat freely all green vegetables and salad.
• Have a minimum of 2 serves of fruit daily.
• If you are experiencing cramp it is usually poor circulation from low iron levels or low magnesium.  Include red meat or a supplement if iron is low and magnesium is found in nuts, legumes, prunes or take a supplement.  Magnesium orotate is the best form and should be taken with the evening meal.
• Have 4 calcium serves daily.  Choose either dairy products or calcium enriched soy drinks, figs or tinned fish with bones such as sardines or salmon.
• Eat lots of seafood, it is a great source of protein, easy to digest and contains omega 3 oils EPA and DHA and zinc (which clears out the mercury).  Eat it every day if you can.  Though not battered with chips on the side.
• Never ever skip meals.
• Keep alcohol to a minimum with some alcohol free days.  If you are trying to lose weight avoid alcohol completely.

Weight loss
If you are overweight you need to focus on a diet that contains adequate protein, moderate carbohydrates from a low GI source and low fat and you must include cardio fitness as a high priority when exercising.  Why you have a high percentage of fat and low muscle bulk your body’s metabolism is not very efficient.  Until you improve your cardio fitness you fill find it harder to burn fats.

It is extremely difficult to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time so be prepared this will take time.

Avoid pasta, rice and potato in the evenings unless you are exercising.  While rice and pasta are low GI they are best eaten in the middle of the day when you can burn them off.

Weight gain
Fat metabolisers, you know who you are and you also know it is difficult to gain weight when you have this type f genetic makeup.  A high protein diet will not help much and isn’t desirable because high protein: low carb diets increase water loss and deplete muscle glycogen stores.  It may help you though to add some healthy fats to meals to slow the passage of food through the gut and boost nutrition by adding milk powders to cooking and add milk/soy drink to soups, stews etc instead of water.  Eat calorie rich whole foods.

Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids and are an excellent choice.  They include all animal, poultry and seafood flesh as well as products made from them such as eggs, fish roe (taramasalata dip, caviar) and dairy products.

Incomplete proteins are nuts and seeds, legumes and pulses i.e. chick peas, navy beans, borlotti beans, red kidney beans, lentils and grains such as brown rice, millet, barley etc.  These incomplete proteins should be combined to form a complete protein meal.  Such as mixing chick peas & tahini (sesame paste) to make hommos which is a complete protein.  Or make a complete protein meal with dahl (made from lentils) rice & vegetables.  Adding some raw cashew nuts or almonds to meals will increase protein or serve with natural yoghurt.